Tag: Lazy Susan

Business Closing, Food and Drink, New Business, Restaurant

Lazy Susan Pivots Into New Restaurant

This week Lazy Susan announced plans to close their prominent charcoal-grill-centric restaurant on July 23rd after nearly three years in operation. Crews will then set to work renovating the storefront at 7937 SE Stark Street, transforming it into a new dining experience run by the same individuals behind Lazy Susan. The eatery’s owner will pivot to Thai-inspired cuisine, aligning the menu with his other successful restaurants.

Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom started work on the Lazy Susan ahead of the pandemic, opening in one of the worst environments for dining amid shutdowns and seating restrictions. However, by outward appearances, Lazy Susan defied the odds building a loyal and regular following. Unfortunately, it never reached the same success as Ninsom’s other ventures, and the economics of this restaurant had too many headwinds. “Margins have been so tight that it’s time to make a pivot to benefit everybody that works here and the owners,” explained Tim Soucie, General Manager of the Lazy Susan. Soucie revealed the closure to staff on Monday, offering to find people positions at other Ninsom-owned locations and encouraging them to reapply for the new restaurant when it opens.

Earl Ninsom is known for creating food destinations focusing on distinct parts of Thai cooking, including recent successes like Phuket Cafe, PaaDee, and Eem. Lazy Susan was a departure from that model, and Tim Soucie says the new restaurant will align Montavilla’s location with Ninsom’s other ventures. “It will fit within the brand of the company,” remarked Soucie. The same woodworkers who created the Lazy Susan interior will update the restaurant, preserving what they can while creating a new seating experience. Painters will rework the color pallet, and electricians will change the lighting ahead of the relaunch.

Tim Soucie will continue to serve as General Manager when the space reopens, and he is excited about the change, having complete faith in Ninsom’s vision and track record. However, Soucie will miss the seasonal aspect of the old restaurant and its creative takes on American-style foods prepared over the charcoal grill. Ultanantly he is happy that the restaurant will remain on Stark Street and his staff can continue their efforts to delight Portlanders through food. “We appreciate how welcoming Montavilla has been with us. This is such a unique community within Portland. We want to bring something new and fresh that will draw more people to the neighborhood, something that is a little bit different, a little bit edgy,” said Soucie.

Fans of Lazy Susan have one week to enjoy their favorite items before the chefs retire the menu. Details about the new restaurant should arrive after the renovation crew begins work next month. However, Ninsom is known to have recently worked on a Bangkok Chinatown inspired restaurant idea. Information about that project places its opening date in alignment with this remodel, hinting at a potential theme for this space. Construction should last four to six weeks, with completion at the end of Summer.

By

Jacob Loeb

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Community, Construction, Infrastructure

Stark Street Road Work Impacts Businesses

This week, two downtown Montavilla businesses disassembled their outdoor seating structures with doubts about how they will rebuild. Active sidewalk construction on the west corners at SE 80th Avenue and Stark Street required the business owners to remove the parking lane dining areas. However, the new sidewalk design and shelter reconstruction costs may impede the return of covered seating.

Sidewalk construction at this intersection is part of the 70s Greenway Project that broke ground last month. This portion of the infrastructure improvement project will add new curb ramps, Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB), improved stormwater handling, and crosswalk striping to the west side of this intersection. As part of this work, PBOT will reconstruct the corners and a segment of the sidewalks in front of two businesses, Tinker Tavern and Lazy Susan. The added pedestrian space makes the historically skinny sidewalks wider and shortens the crosswalk distance for people crossing the fast-paced road. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) must remove a few parking spaces to accommodate the expanded sidewalks.

Deconstruction of outdoor seating shelters

Eliminating parking capacity adjacent to these two restaurants will affect how the business owners implement their Healthy Businesses curbside seating. The extra space can accommodate some additional sidewalk seating. However, the extended sidewalk spans less than the entire width of the parking lane as the outdoor shelters once did. Replacement tables in that space will need to be smaller, seating fewer guests. On the north side of the street, plans call for a new tree well in the expanded sidewalk area. That is a welcomed addition to a section of SE Stark that is often too narrow for street trees, but that further limits the number of tables Lazy Susan can deploy outside their establishment.

The managers at both businesses are unsure what type of covered seating PBOT will allow them to construct on the expanded sidewalk, if any. Hannah Schafer, Communications Director for PBOT, echoed the uncertainty regarding outdoor seating at these two sites. The bureau is currently working on updated guidelines for this program with greater Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance requirements and site visibility standards. Whatever seating is reconstructed by Tinker Tavern and Lazy Susan will need to follow those currently incomplete rules.

Clipping from PBOT intersection design document showing expanded sidewalk and corners

The potential long-term loss of table capacity is of particular concern for the businesses since they have just started paying for outdoor dining permits. In September 2022, PBOT began charging for the parking lane seating options previously offered to restaurants without fee during the pandemic. The permit application costs $150, and a business pays an additional $500 per year for each parking space it occupies with outdoor seating. Schafer explained that the business owners could apply for a prorated refund of the paid fees, as this sidewalk expansion would remove the parking spaces used to determine the price they paid. However, the businesses are more intent on working with PBOT to restore their lost covered seating. Erik Mahan of Tinker Tavern said he could get by with picnic tables during the summer but will need the covered option before the weather turns to rain. Tim Soucie, General Manager at Lazy Susan, said they would have to play it day-by-day.

Excavation pit work in the center os SE Stark Street

Regardless of their future layout constraints, Mahan and Soucie are frustrated with the timing of this work at the height of their busy season. During construction, Tinker Tavern will lose access to five of its nine outdoor tables. Lazy Susan is losing six tables. This diminished seating capacity will cause a short-term loss. Still, the business operators understand that road construction happens and hope workers complete the project before the Montavilla Street Fair in July. However, the cost of reconstructing the covered outdoor seating is challenging to absorb. Tinker Tavern allowed a customer to deconstruct their shelter and reuse it on his property. Mahan had nowhere to store it and knew it could not return to where it was before. Whatever covered area he rebuilds could cost as much as what he gave away. For Lazy Susan, reconstructing their covered seating will also be difficult, but they have no choice but to make the investment. “The cost of this whole project is detrimental to our business,” commented Soucie in an email to Montavilla News. 

The conflict between business operations in the public right-of-way and pedestrian infrastructure improvements is one of the challenges PBOT faces when crafting the bureau’s updated rules for this program. The City of Portland must improve accessibility and safety for its residents using sidewalks. However, taxes and fees collected from business help fund those initiatives. Schafer explained that PBOT recognizes each outdoor seating situation is unique and that new rules will require flexibility to balance business needs and pedestrian access. The degree to which these eateries can restore covered seating should illustrate how well the new guidelines support commerce and pedestrian needs.

Crews working for PBOT will continue building the infrastructure enhancements over the next month. Tinker Tavern and Lazy Susan will remain open during construction and provide limited outdoor seating as the construction activity allows. PBOT intends to work on finalizing the Healthy Businesses guidelines and present them to City Council over the summer. Only after that work completes will Tinker Tavern and Lazy Susan staff have a clear path forward for covered outdoor seating.

By

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.

Bar, Construction, Event, Food and Drink, New Business, Restaurant

Lazy Susan Open for Dinner

Construction is now complete on the much-anticipated restaurant taking over the former Country Cat location. This past weekend, Lazy Susan staff officially started dinner service, representing the diner’s official opening.

Kayla Morrell, of Lazy Susan, described the opening weekend as successful. “We’ve seen a fair amount of turnout for our first weekend of full-service dining, and hope that continues as word gets out in the neighborhood.”

Dinner service is available from 4 PM to 9 PM, Friday through Sunday. They expect to add Thursday dinner in the near future, as business ramps up. Lazy Susan will also begin opening for brunch on Sundays and Mondays. However, the exact time and date for brunch service are yet to be determined.

Lazy Susan’s dining area and bar are ready to accept customers, having been carefully worked on for months. However, indoor seating will remain closed. “While the situation with COVID continues, we plan to remain in a takeout and outdoor-dining only format.” Said Morrell. 

The restaurant’s interior expresses both cozy and open feelings. Woodwork surrounds the interior on all surfaces and creates compartments within the space. However, the areas’ division is represented on the outer edges, making the core of the room open and expansive. Wood dominates all corners of Lazy Susan, but the variety of stains and finishes prevent it from feeling excessive. Recessed lighting and ornamental light-fixtures illuminate all the compartments, further creating defined space without walls. The contoured paneling of the ceiling and wood floors will reduce sound reflection, creating a comfortable volume, once the room is packed full of people. For now, customers will have to view the detailed woodwork and creative lighting through the windows. 

The kitchen is updated to support the charcoal centric menu. Some eliminate are a holdover from the Country Cat. Two under-counter refrigerators and the six-burner range are original. The custom charcoal grill is all new and sits center stage in the open kitchen. Future customers will be able to sit kitchen-side to watch the seasonal creations sizzling.

Lazy Susan occupies the corner shopfront in the historic Dickson Drugs building, located at 7937 SE Stark Street. The second weekend of dinner service starts tonight at 4 PM.

Renowned Portland firm, Osmose Design, created Lazy Susan’s distinctive look.

Event, Food and Drink, New Business, Restaurant

Lazy Susan’s Curbside Open

Along SE 80th, a large grill cooks sizzling meat. Staff at Lazy Susan have not yet settled on an official opening date, however they have started curbside service for Montavilla locals.

Lazy Susan is located at 7937 SE Stark on the corner of SE 80th Ave and Stark Street. They had intended to open months prior, but delayed due to COVID-19. They are still putting the finishing touches on the interior of the restaurant but that will not stop them from cooking. “We are serving barbecue to the neighborhood curbside, and offering awesome beverages like sangria slushies and piña colada snow cones.” Wrote Kayla Morrell of Lazy Susan PDX.

Lazy Susan has taken curbside service to an extreme, cooking and selling the food from the sidewalk. Orders for food and drinks are placed at the front door on SE Stark Street. Around the corner the food is prepped and grilled. They offer waiting chairs along the front of the building, spaced apart for safety.

Lazy Susan staff have successfully brought a mini version of their restaurant, to the sidewalk. Plates are priced at $15, with your choice of meat. A crescent roll and potato salad are included. They are open 12 to 4 PM.

Construction, New Residence

SRO Housing Delayed when Needed Most

A development in Montavilla, could add 11 new Single Room Occupancy units to NE Glisan. This would be Guerrilla Development’s second project in the area. They are wrapping up construction on their first building named Rocket Empire Machine. The new two story building is called Jolene’s Second Cousin and is adjacent to Rocket Empire Machine, at 6935 NE Glisan Street. The property, that both projects currently share, will be split before construction begins.

Image courtesy of Brett Schulz Architect

Building permits for Jolene’s Second Cousin have already been approved. Guerrilla Development has lined up the same contractors that worked on Rocket Empire Machine, to start work on this new building. However, “the project is on hold due to uncertainty around Covid-19.” Said Anna Mackay, Director of Development at Guerrilla Development. The delay could be short, with construction starting in Summer or Fall. Unfortunately, the delay could be longer and no timetable has been decided.

  • Image courtesy of Brett Schulz Architect
  • Image courtesy of Brett Schulz Architect
  • Image courtesy of Brett Schulz Architect

Portland once had a healthy inventory of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) apartments. They served reduced income residents and kept many people in housing, that otherwise would have lived on the streets. Over the last fifty years, that inventory of affordable rental options has been in decline.

Single Room Occupancy housing is structured similarly to a dormitory. Each resident has a furnished one room apartments. Tenants share a common kitchen, shower, and toilet. Some variation on SRO layouts could have a toilet, sink, or mini-fridge in the room.

This type of affordable housing may soon be in high demand, due to the fallout from our statewide shutdown. Six months after the Eviction Moratorium order ends, people are expected to pay their back rent. That could start a wave of evictions for those that do not have savings to cover the unpaid rent.

Before our current economic troubles, Portland had identified SRO housing as a way to keep people housed as rental rates climb. However the number of SRO apartments in Portland has not yet satisfied the pre-pandemic housing needs. Six months from now we may have less SRO options, not more. The Westwind Apartments project, downtown, is a seven story building offering 72 SRO units and 28 studio apartments. All units will support low income residents or people transitioning off the streets. It is replacing a three story building that currently offers affordable housing. When completed, this project should help many Potlanders gain access to housing. However, when the building is demolished to make way for its replacement, there will be even less affordable units to rent in Portland.

There is a an established need for projects like Jolene’s Second Cousin, and we need them built in the next six months, to meet the predicted demand. We also need more of them, spread throughout the city. Jolene’s Second Cousin picked an ideal scale for the project, insuring it fits in the neighborhood without dominating the area. Large towers like the Westwind Apartments do not always work out well for the residents. Historically, housing many low income people together has not been successful for other cities. Low income housing, mixed within the community, has worked well in the past and could do so again.

Montavilla once had SRO housing right in the center of town. In an interview of Dianne Dixon-Lawrence, she talks about the history of Dickson Drugs and the SRO units on the second floor. Dickson Drugs was located on the corner of 80th and SE Stark. The same space that once housed the Country Cat and will soon be the home of Lazy Susan restaurant. In the interview, she tells the story of the 1961 remodel that ultimately removed the SRO units. Those SRO units had occupied all of the second floor above Dickson Drugs. She said that in the 1960’s, the city had begun to require parking for each apartment. That change made it difficult to creat low cost housing in many places, and impossible for the space above Dickson Drugs. Dixon-Lawrence went on to say that the city later reversed that decision but by then, it no longer was cost effective to add the SRO units back.

It would be helpful to Portland, and Montavilla, if Jolene’s Second Cousin can start construction soon. The housing will be desperately needed and perhaps that can help alleviate some of the uncertainty around building it. However, 11 SRO units are not enough. We will need more, and a community that will be accepting of SRO housing near them. Any hesitation for allowing low income housing in the area, needs to be balance by the notion that people are not going away. A person can live in an SRO next to our house or on the street in front of our house, but they are going to be our neighbor, one way or another. Let’s encourage attainable housing for all of our neighbors.

Bar, Food and Drink, New Business, Restaurant, Review - Opinion

Effect of Staying Home on Where We Go-out

It has almost been a month of empty streets and closed shops. Even if you are safe and secure during this time, you are looking around at the businesses in the neighborhood and hoping they will survive. There are some programs to help these small businesses but not enough, and certainly they are not timely in providing the help needed. Those programs are for established businesses trying to make it through the forced closures. However, they do not cover establishments that have not opened their doors for the first time. We have many businesses in Montavilla that are mid construction.

The Oregonian has an article detailing the struggle of four restaurants and bars that had all been scheduled to open in Montavilla town. In the article, the owners of White Rabbit, Tinker Tavern, Lazy Susan, and Sebastiano’s all lend their voice to the story of uncertainty around us. No business in Montavilla is immune to the financial hardships being felt right now but the ones that have yet to see their first customer, are proving to be the most vulnerable.

All is not lost for these future landmarks of Montavilla. Some should be able to postpone plans. Others are adjusting the business to fit what is practical right now. Andrew Mace, of Lazy Susan, is quoted in The Oregonian article as being thankful they did not hire staff yet.

Unlike other shops with staff, payroll and unemployment is one burden the new locations in Montavilla are not contending with. There are many established businesses in our area that need cash flow to keep some of their staff employed.

Brian Stafki put together a Google Sheet of Montavilla, and other nearby businesses, that are open or offering services in an alternative form. If you can continue to give them business, please do.

The Montavilla East Tabor Business Association has created a COVID-19 Info and Resources page that has some additional information about its members, during this prolonged shutdown.

Food and Drink, New Business, Restaurant

Changes at Country Cat

UPDATE – Portland Monthly has written an article about the Lazy Susan taking over the Country Cat location. The article includes the below image showing a rendering of the interior.

The mozaic cat that once marked the Montavilla icon, Country Cat, has been chipped away. The Country Cat closed last August without much explanation. It has sat empty with paper covering the windows all of this Winter. However, over the last month there has been increased activity inside as the tenants ready the space for something new. Once again Eater Portland has the answers to what we will soon see inplace of the Country Cat. Lazy Susan will open soon with and “all-star cast of front-and-back-of-house talent.” Read the Eater Portland article for a detailed description of what’s to come. From the sounds of it, we could have another nationally know destination restaurant taking the space of Montavilla’s last one.

  • Country Cat mozaic center chipped out
    Photo by Crossett Freilinger